accelerando (faster and faster)
My heart started beating wildly. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Choral, 4th movement. The Messiah in my head that resonated at the end of death. I started walking without realizing it. The wind instruments beat fast against my ears, and the cello's melody resonated densely. When the trumpet's lingering sound ended, the baritone's joy resonated. My footsteps gradually became faster as my heartbeat.
Knock knock.
Let's open the door and come in.
A symphony was playing on a black old radio. The cassette tape was stretched out, as if I had listened to Beethoven's 9th symphony chorus over and over again. The tempo of the melody was subtly different, as evidence. But even that sounded like a symphony device. It was a symphony so excellent that it transcended its time.
With a lingering aftertaste.
The hymn of joy has ended.
Kang Hyun carefully opened his eyes. He had been appreciating the symphony all along. As an audience member. Only then did he see the faces of the students sitting in the classroom. Among them, Kim Dae Woo greeted Kang Hyun by waving his chubby palm.
"Who are you?"
She is a young female teacher. Unlike her youthful appearance, her eyes and voice are full of firmness. Kang-hyun realized that he had been rude. He probably didn't want anyone to interrupt him while he was enjoying the symphony, but she suddenly opened the door and came in.
"I'm sorry. My name is Kang Hyeon from class 7, grade 1. I unknowingly got sucked into the sound of the symphony."
Kang Hyun bowed his head politely.
"Ah, you're the friend Daewoo was talking about, the one who got first place in the entire school among the first graders this time. Your teacher is Kang Hye-jeong, who teaches music for the second and third grades. Nice to meet you. Are you going to join our club now?"
Kim Dae-woo's eyes sparkled. But it was too much just helping out at the laundry. Furthermore, he was still too young to enjoy the hobby of classical music.
"sorry."
With Kang Hyun's firm words,
Kang Hye-jeong's eyes were strangely curved. Curious.
Kang Hye-jeong couldn't forget the sight of Kang Hyun, who had just opened the door and come in. Although countless children were looking at him, he was listening to the symphony that was playing on the radio as if he was an audience member at Carnegie Hall. His expression was sweeter than anything else, and his ears even perked up to the melody. Furthermore, his eyes, which had opened after the chorus, were filled with deep lingering emotions and joy. Clearly, he was not an ordinary child.
"Don't do that. Go and participate in club activities today."
Kang Hye-jeong continued speaking, pointing to an empty seat with her hand.
"Today, the teacher showed us how to play the violin. Oh, Kang-Hyeon, you learned the violin."
Kang Hyun looked at Kim Dae Woo. Kim Dae Woo was scratching his head like Winnie the Pooh. He must have been spreading rumors around the neighborhood. What a guy.
"I learned how to act, but I only did it for a short period of time, so I don't remember a single thing. Furthermore, I had no talent."
There was no bitterness in his words. Rather, his tone seemed to indicate that he was calmly assessing himself. Kang Hye-jeong became even more curious.
"In my opinion, Kang Hyun, you are talented."
"yes?"
"Talent as an audience member."
If she had enjoyed Beethoven's symphony, she must have been very talented as an audience member. The more talented an audience member is, the more they know the true value of music. Kang Hye-jeong picked up her violin case with a smile on her face. Meanwhile, Kang Hyun sat down next to Kim Dae-woo.
"Our teacher plays the violin really well."
Kim Dae-woo boasted about Kang Hye-jeong in a small voice.
I thought he would play a tape since he plays the violin, but it seems he wants to play it himself. I was quite interested in the violin case that looked dirty.
Kang Hye-jeong took out an old violin from the case and skillfully took up her posture. Her chin and shoulders supported the instrument, and her left hand was lightly touching the instrument. Her fingertips were parallel to the fingerboard, and her weight was on the bottom of her thumb. It was as if it had become a part of her body.
The bow that was being held lightly was lifted.
Jiying.
Gentle at first.
The strings and bows meet.
I feel cautious, as if I am walking on frozen ground.
Jiying.
Next is Allegro (fast).
The bow, which had been playing cautiously, began to move dazzlingly as if it was gliding over a slicing ice rink. The bow moved ceaselessly as if it was fighting against the approaching cold wind. The fingers dancing on the strings seemed to scream. It was a repetition of a thrilling melody. My heart pounded relentlessly to the melody that pierced my ears.
The melody changes.
As the climax approaches.
The bow is constantly in contact with the string. The fingers holding the string are running quickly as if they are breaking through ice. In the end.
Jiying.
The performance ends with the final ice breaking.
It was amazing.
I was proud to have listened to classical music often in my previous life. I participated in orchestras and violin solo recitals quite often. It was more of a way to gain culture in high society than a hobby. However, Kang Hye-jeong's violin skills are not those of an ordinary music teacher.
"Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Winter, 3rd movement."
The song title came out softly from Kang Hyun's mouth.
Vivaldi's Four Seasons is a violin concerto that most people have probably heard of. It is also a repertoire often used in violin solo recitals. I have heard the Four Seasons from famous violinists, but none of them have given me such a shock.
"As Daewoo said, Kang Hyun-i said he likes classical music, and it seems to be true. How was it, teacher, playing the violin?"
Kang Hye-jeong said as she placed the violin back in its case.
The students are smiling proudly. They seem to be proud that their teacher is so good.
But it was strange.
There was a scene that kept tugging at my head. To be exact, it was when the bow moved at the point where the melody changed.
"teacher."
Kang Hyun's gaze landed on Kang Hye-jeong's right hand.
"Have you ever injured your right index finger?"
"uh?"
Kang Hye-jeong looked momentarily embarrassed and asked back. Kang Hyeon confessed the dissonance he had felt.
"I think you unconsciously put more strength into your index finger when you hold the bow. You don't do it every time. You mean when the melody changes."
A subtle change created a momentary dissonance.
"Oh, how did you know?"
Kang Hye-jeong looked surprised with rabbit eyes.
To the question of how he knew.
Kang Hyun scratched his head. How should he explain it? He himself didn't understand. He wasn't very knowledgeable about music. Looking back, he definitely didn't have any talent. But when he listened to music, the melody seemed to come alive right before his eyes. He could tell at a glance which part was awkward.
"It just seemed like that."
To Kang Hyun's simple answer,
"just?"
Curiosity filled Kang Hye-jeong's eyes.
* * *
It was after all the students had left.
Kang Hye-jeong looked down at her right hand. Not only was her left hand, which was used to hold the strings, but her right hand, which was used to hold the bow, was covered in calluses. However, there was a wound on her right hand. A wound that was so faint that it was impossible to notice on the outside.
"after."
A deep sigh poured out, filling the empty classroom.
It was because I was reminded of a past I didn't want to remember. There was a time when I was a promising violinist. But in a moment of accident, all of that went up in smoke. I couldn't even hold a bow for years. Only after the lump in my heart had settled did the wounds fade and I was able to play the violin again, albeit awkwardly.
"How did you know?"
After a long period of rehabilitation, he was able to play the violin again as before. Although it was not as good as before, he was proud that he was as good as any violinist. However, the child discovered a flaw that he did not even know he had. It was a habit that had already become fixed during rehabilitation. Thinking back, he remembered that he had put more strength into the bow at every point when the melody changed. Unconsciously.
"It's amazing."
Not only is he talented as an audience member, but he also has great intuition. If it were me, I wonder if I could have recognized it at a glance. I can tell by pointing out that it was not my right hand, but my right index finger.
"It's impossible."
Kang Hye-jeong shook her head repeatedly. It is difficult for not only herself but also the other person to find the habit that has become ingrained in her body. If the other person does not have a great intuition about music, it is impossible. Moreover, the melody of the song she played only changes once. She did not miss that moment.
Paganini might be able to do it.